“Hamilton” first came to Broadway in August 2015. The astounding musical tells the story of Alexander Hamilton and the founding fathers. It is being called the “Musical of the Decade.” Alexander Hamilton fought to make America a better country for everyone. He will be forever remembered as a major political figure of his time. The following paragraphs are split up into songs included in this beloved musical. I believe it is now Enloe High School’s time to step up and change thousands of lives with our 12th Annual Charity Ball.
“MY SHOT”
I am involved in Beta Club here at Enloe so I do a lot of service hours both inside and outside of school. I love helping others and having a direct impact on my community. When I search for volunteer opportunities, I don’t just look at location and availability, I look at the chance to work one-on-one with someone. I like to see who my work is affecting. When I first visited Urban Ministries I was extremely intimidated to meet the people we would work to raise 120k for. When I arrived I could already sense the graciousness from the welcoming and warmhearted employees, volunteers, and members. I strive to make a difference in my community every chance I get, there is no chance quite like this, I’m taking my shot. Will you?
“THE STORY OF TONIGHT”
An upsetting truth that must be told is the fact that Charity Ball is often just seen as one of Enloe’s dances. It may be a semi-formal dance hosted by Enloe, but it is so more than that. This dance benefits Urban Ministries and is a celebration commemorating the hard work we have put into raising 120k to not only impact Urban Ministries, but the Raleigh community as a whole. December 10th, 2016 will become a story told to many. A story of how a community teamed up with a non-profit to defeat the issues of hunger, homelessness, and lack of healthcare. This story will be told, will you be a part of it?
“HELPLESS”
I hope as you sit on the other side of this screen, you realize the impact you yourself can make. Do you enjoy dances? Buy a ticket. You want to get involved? Volunteer at Urban Ministries. You want to contribute? Help us reach our goal and donate. You want to make a difference for not only Urban Ministries but also a kid at Enloe? Donate a ticket for a student who isn’t able to purchase one. We hope everyone feels just as passionate about this cause as we do, so we hope we can get as many people as possible involved. We don’t want anyone feeling helpless, we want everyone to know the impact they can make.
“SATISFIED”
Take a minute to look around at your circumstances. Your support system, your food, your living conditions, your health. Are you satisfied? If the answer is yes, I challenge you to imagine your life without those things. Over 4,000 people in Wake County struggle with homelessness each year. Urban Ministries is attempting to tackle homelessness by opening their Helen Wright Center to provide shelter and compassionate care for as many as 36 women each night. Over 90,000 of Wake County residents are not able to have doctor visits or obtain needed prescriptions. Urban Ministries’ Open Door Clinic provides these residents with much needed medical care to keep them healthy so they can keep their job and are able to provide for their family. Over 120,000 people in Wake County are hungry and about 20% of children live in food insecure homes. Urban Ministries opens it’s food pantry everyday to provide these families with a week’s worth of groceries. To make sure these families are receiving the proper nutrition they need, Urban Ministries’ food pantry gives fresh produce as well as provides cooking classes on healthy meal options. With Urban Ministries help, these residents are able to live the satisfactory lives they deserve.
“WAIT FOR IT”
To say few people have mocked our ambitions would be an understatement. I guess you could call them “our haters” but I like to call them “our motivators”. My drive comes from my passion to help my community and the incredible work Urban Ministries does but I have to say these “motivators” add fuel to my fire so for that, I say thank you. If you’ve told us we won’t reach our goal, if you told us we’re “just kids”, if you told us “at least you’re trying” well all I can say to you is just wait for it…
“NON-STOP”
Every student council member appears to be your typical high school student but a switch flips on come October. This switch turns us into full on Charity Ball mode. Each of us work non-stop to pull our weight in this endeavor. Since October, we have continued to publicize this event to gain support and encourage attendance. Our goal may be $120,000 but it’s more than the money, it’s about changing our community for the better and spreading awareness about the obstacles some people in Wake County face.
“YOU’LL BE BACK”
The majority of both our corporate and family donors have been with us for many of our past Charity Ball’s. They recognize the selfless work we do and jump on the chance to be apart of this indescribable experience over and over again. Charity Ball’s profits won’t just majorly impact Urban Ministries, it will have a significant impact on the Raleigh community too. We hope that you take the opportunity to join us in changing lives. We promise you that you won’t regret your decision and we promise you’ll be back.
“HISTORY HAS IT’S EYES ON YOU”
We don’t need to be in an American History book to be considered historic or be remembered. Everyone involved will remember this accomplishment for the rest of our lives. I personally believe all of Wake County will be able to see the passion we hold in our hearts for Urban Ministries when we give them that $120,000 check on December 10th. History has it’s eyes on us. We won’t let it down.
Grace Suzik
Freshman Class Senator